Jamie Oliver to star in new cooking show amid coronavirus crisis

Jamie Oliver is set to release a new cooking show on Channel 4 in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, it was announced on Friday.

The professional chef, 44, will be helping viewers during the pandemic by offering up easy recipes and cooking tips using items typically found in one’s cupboard.

Starting on March 23, the 30-minute episodes will be aired on weekdays in a programme that has been dubbed ‘Keep Cooking and Carry On.’ 

Announcing the news on Twitter, Channel 4 wrote: ‘Join @jaimeoliver in his brand new show as he helps the nation with easy recipes, cooking tips and ingenious hacks whilst many of us are staying at home.’ 

As well as making easy-to-make meals, Jamie will also be teaching viewers how they can make their own bread and pasta. 

In a statement, Jamie said of the show: ‘Cooking nutritious meals for yourself and your loved ones has never been more important.

‘This show will be packed with easy and delicious recipes that the whole family can enjoy, plus loads of tips, tricks and hacks for simple swaps and ways you can make the recipes work with what you’ve got.

‘Let’s big up those store cupboard and freezer faves and hero recipes you can take lots of ways.’

Jamie has helped aspiring chefs for decades with his easy-to-follow recipes, from cookbooks like 5 Ingredients that focuses on making meals with minimal items, to his many different cooking shows. 

He catapulted to fame in 1999 at the age of 24 when he was offered his own TV show, The Naked Chef, on the back of his stint working at The River cafe in London. 

However, Jamie has had a turbulent past year following 22 of his Jamie’s Italian restaurants close in May 2019. 

Administrators recently revealed that much of the £80million-plus owed by the collapsed Italian chain, launched by the chef in 2008, will probably never be paid back to creditors. This resulted in as many as 1,000 job losses.  

Jamie: Keep Cooking and Carry On airs on Monday March 23, at 5:30pm on Channel 4.